Ring clinching mechanism



wy E94@ s, Q, SMH'H ZWS@ RING CLINCHING MECHANISM Filed June l2, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q= A TTORNE YS.

@Efmy il@ 3%@ s; G. swim-s RING GLINCHING MEGHANISM Filed June l2', 1937 2 Simens-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 532727Z?! 6? zzz.

ATTORNEYS'.

vPatented July 1'6, 1940 ETE.r STATE arcata s PATENT orties RING CLINCHING imiciiernsM` Stanley G. Smith, Detroit, Mich.,V assignor to The Murray Corporation of America, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware t Application June 12, 1937, serial No. 147,926 claims. (c1.14o55) ,fvide a structure of substantially U-shape. This wire member is inserted Ibetween the jaws Aand v.upon the closing of the jaws, the Wire member is deformed to move the ends of the wire member past each other to close the ring.

In its broad aspect, the invention is primarily concerned with the provision of a simple, eicient, `and conveniently operated device for clinching .U-shaped wire members to form rings and has for '20 its prin-cipal object the provision of a construction in which the jaws, when in their open position, readily receive a ring and, in addition, means for retaining the jaws in partially closed condition to retain the ring in seated position therebetween prior to the additional clinching operation.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a jaw structure for apparatus of this general type in which a lost motion connection is provided between the jaws which lost motion connection serves automatically to resiliently urge the jaws into partially closed condition in order that when a section of preformed wire is inserted between the jaws this wire member will automatically be retained in position therebetween p-rior to the time the jaws are actuated to clinch the same. i Still another object of the present invention consists of the provision of a lost motion connection having the function described above, which lost motion connection is associated with the pivotal connection between the jaws.

The `present invention contemplates the `provision of a cylinder on one side of which is rigidly mounted a Xed jaw member, a movable yjaw member is pivotally connected to said xed jaw member in `zo-operative relation therewith and one end of the movable jaw member is plvotally connected to the actuating rod of a piston disposed within said cylinder. A lost motion connection is [provided .between .the piston rod and the movable jaw which serves at all times to revsiliently urge the jaws into partially closed condition and it willr be appreciated that the actu-` lation of the piston rod serves to clinch a ring .der for actuating the same. appreciated that this mechanism will find particular adaptability .in automatic machines in which may be disposed between the jaws and.

resiliently retained therebetween. Many other and Afurther objects, advantages, and features of the `.present invention will become clearly apparent from the following specirlcation when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof. In the drawings:

Figure liris a fragmentary sectional View of one form of the improved ring clinching mechanismr illustrating the same with the jaws in open position and having a ring to beclinched disposed therebetween;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. l, illustrating the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 with the jaws in closed position showing l the manner in which the ring is clinched;

1 Fig. 3 is a `fragmentary side elevational view of the ring clinching mechanism illustrated in Figs. l and `2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of jportions of a seat cushion illustrating one particularly advantageous use for the mechanism of lthe present invention;

Fig. 5 is a transversely sectional view taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. l illustrating the pivotal connection between the jaw members and the lost motion connection for resiliently urging the jaw members into partially closed position. l

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modied form of the inventionembodying va modified form of lost motion connection.

Fig. 7 is an elevational View with parts in section of a modified form of the tool of the present invention illustrating the same with the jaws `in the extreme `open position.

Figf is an elevational view similar to Fig. 7 showing the toolwith the jaws moved to closed or clinching position. 4

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken substantiallylon the line 9 9 'of Fig. 8 illustrating the construction and arrangement of parts of the improved modified form of the tool.

Fig. 1.0 is a transverse sectional View taken substantially on the line lll-ll) of Fig. 8 illustrating in detail the mechanism for moving the jaws to engage an inserted ring to be clinched.

With more particular reference to the draw- Aings,.it will be appreciated that the mechanism `of the present invention includes merely the pivotally connected jaws and the piston and cylin- It will` be readily which the rings are automatically preformed and automatically fitted into position between the jaws in response to actuation of the jaws. I-Iowever, the present invention is primarily directed to the novel jaw and jaw actuating mechanism and it is immaterial as far as the present invention is concerned what speci'c type of apparatus is utilized in connection therewith.

The specific embodiment of the invention shown includes a cylinder 1, which is open at its upper end which may be supplied with av fluid under pressure by means of a suitable conduit 8, communicating with the lower end thereof, the supply of fluid being conveniently controlled by valve 9. The exterior wall of the cylinder has preferably formed integrally therewith a radially j and axially extending flange II), to which is rigidly secured a stationary jaw member I I. The upper end of the jaw member II is recessedto provide a concave face I2, adapted to engage one side 0f a preformed wire member I3, which when squeezed will automatically be bent into substantially circular form with overlapping ends. `Rings of this general type have long been used for many and various pur-poses and the specic form and structure of the element operated on by the jaw forms no part of the present invention.' A pivot pin has one end I5 threadably received by a suitable aperture adjacent the upper end of the jaw member I I to mount the pivot pin in rigid'position with respect to this jaw. The central portion of the pivot pin is enlarged to yprovide a substantially cylindrical jaw receiving pivot I6 for a movable arm I1, which arm is provided with a concave recessed face I8, adapted to co-operate with the recessed face I2 of the jaw member II.

The jaw member I1 is provided with a slot 2li in the body portion thereof which slot is of suflicient width to closely engage the cylindrical portion I5 of the pivot pin and "is of a length slightly greater than the diameter of this portion of the pivot pin. The pivot pin is provided with a shouldered portion 22, adapted to maintain the jaw members in assembled pivotally connected relationand has projecting therefrom an axial extension 23 which serves to mount an offset arm 24; An upstanding pin 25 is rigidly mounted in the arm I1 and a small tension coil spring 26 serves to interconnect thepin 25 and the arm-24 which spring it will be seen normally serves to retain the inner end of the slot 20 in engagement with the cylindrical pivot portion of the pivot pin and resiliently urge the jaws into partially closed position;

The extreme end of the arm I1 is adapted to enter between the bifurcated upper end of a piston rod 3|) and these two members are pivotally connected together by means of a suitable transversely extending pin 3|. The lower end of the piston rod 30 is perferably connected to a piston 33 which is adapted for reciprocable movement with the cylinderv 1. Adjacent the upper end of the cylinder a collar 3B is preferably rigidly retained interiorly thereof by means of a screw 38, which collar serves to provide an abutment for the upper end of a compression coil spring 39 the lower end of which seats upon the upper surface of the piston 33 and it will be seen that this spring serves to normally retain the piston 33 in the lower endv of the cylinder and consequently retain the jaws in substantially open position.

The lost motion connection provided by slot 2D in the arm I1 and the tension coil spring 26 which interconnects the arm I1 with the pivot pin serves to resiliently urge the jaws toward partially closed condition. The force exerted by this spring is relatively light and consequently when an open ring such as I3 is inserted between the jaws the jaws may be partially opened 5 and the spring will urge the jaws into engagament with the open ring I3 with sufficient force so that the open ring will not be deformed but will be firmly retained in position between the jaws.

When the valve 9 is opened, fluid under pres- 10 sure may be admitted to the interior of the cylinder, causing upward movement of the piston 33 therein which movement will first serve to move the jaw member I1 sufficiently far so that the outer end of the slot 20 will engage the sur- 15 face of the pivot pin the while retaining the open ring I3 resiliently seated between the jaws. Further upward movement of the piston will serve to close the jaws, consequently moving the ends of the open ring I3 into overlapping re- 20 lation, thus clinching the same in substantially the manner shown in Figure 2.

While it will be apparent that the mechanism of the present invention will find broad and practical utility in many and various different 25 fields, the mechanism of the present invention was designed primarily for usein connection with machines for assembling coil spring constructions of the general type illustrated in the fragmentary view of Figure 4. In this type of 30 construction, a seat may be made up of a plurality of transversely extending wires 40, disposed in substantially spaced parallel relation. In constructions of this general` character, it is usually desired to-secure one end of a coil spring 35 4I to these wires. This may be conveniently accomplished by clinching rin-gs 42 around the top convolution of the spring 4I and around one of the transversely extending wires thus locking the members in assembled relation.

The lost motion connection aiforded by the slotted movable .arm I1 is extremely important, inasmuch as it'. provides convenient means for firmly retaining an open ring in position between the jaws prior to the time the ring is 45 clinched.

In'the modified form of the invention, illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the function of the apparatus shown, is substantially the same as that-described in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. In this form of the invention, a cylinder 50 is provided substantially identical in construction with cylinder 1 describedabove and which has secured thereto a .fixed jaw member 5I to-which is pivotally connected a movable jaw member 52 by means of a pin 53. The inner end of the jaw member 52 is provided with a slot 54 and its end adapted to receive a transversely extending pin 55 inter- 60 connecting the bifurcated end of a piston rod 56, the upper end of the piston rod 56 may be provided with a bore in which is housed a compression coil spring 51 which is confined at one end by the lower end of the bore and at the other end by the inner end of the movable arm 52, consequentlyserving to resiliently maintain the lower end of the slot 54 in enga-gement with the pin 55 providing a lost motion connection `which is substantially similarin function to the lost motion connection described above in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

It will be clear that when the jaws are in `open position, an open ended ring may bel inazoa'oss yserteol therebetween and the coil spring 51 will serve to normally urge the jaws towards partially closed position, thus resiliently retaining the open ended ring in position between the jaws. Likewise, it will be apparent that when fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinder an upward movement of the piston rod 56 will take place serving to move the jaws 5l and 52 to closed position thus clinching the ring therebetween.

in Figs. 'l to l0, inclusive, a still further modied form of the invention is illustrated in which a tool is provided of somewhat diiferent construction but yet at the same time embodying the same generic improvements found in connection with the preferred embodiments of the invention described above.

Themodied form of tool shown in Figs. '7 to l0, inclusive, comprises a cylinder 60 to which fluid under pressure will be supplied by means of a conduit El. The supply of such fluid pressure and the bleeding of the cylinder are controlled by means of a conventional plunger valve A piston 63 is mounted within the cylinder and is urged to an extreme downward position of movement by means of a compression coil spring The piston 63 has a piston rod 65 connected therewith which piston rod extends upwardly and out through the upper end of the cylinder. The upper end of the cylinder 60 is preferably closed by a cap member 6l Awhich serves to support a pair of rigidly mounted jaw supporting members 68 which together provide means for mounting a transverse pin 69 on which a pair of jaws 'l and 'H are mounted for rotation. The jaws lil and 'H have recesses 'l2 in their faces adapted to receive a U-shaped wire member which, when the jaws are closed, will be deformed into a ring in substantially the manner set forth above in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention. The members lil and 'H extend downwardly a substantial distance below their pivotal mounting @t each have a toggle link 'M pivotally connected to their lower ends. These toggle links ld are pivotally connected together and to the upper end of the piston rod 65 by means of a relatively long transversely extending pin 'l5 which, as is clearly seen in Fig. 9, extends a substantial distance laterally from the toggle links and piston rod and projects through suitable vertically disposed slots ll formed in the support members S8. |The slots ll' serve to guide piston rod during vertical movement and also serve the purpose of insuring positive equal movement of the jaw members. The slots 'l1 serve the further purpose of limiting the movement of the jaw members throughout a predetermined range.

The parts of the apparatus are preferably proportioned in such a manner that when the pin 'l5 is moved to a position adjacent the upper end of the slot, the jaws will close sufficiently to clinch `a wire member 'F9 suciently so that its ends overlap and it may serve the purpose for which it is intended. When fluid pressure is bled from the cylinder till, the piston 63 will move downwardly therein urged by the spring 64 until the transverse pin 'l5 comes in contact with the lower end of the slots 'il thereby limiting the opening movement of the jaws to a predetermined maximum. This maximum opening movement is preferably sufcient to permit the insertion of a predetermined wire member between the jaws.

A hand lever 80 is pivotally connected by means of a pin 8| to the cap member 61 of the cylinder and as is clearly seen in Figs. 9 and 10, this hand member 8B is provided with a pair of lugs or ears 82 adapted to engage the underside of the transverse pin "l5 so that when the pin is in the extreme downward position of movement, the

hand lever `80 may b'e moved inwardly toward the cylinder 60 thus closing the jaws sufficiently to positively retain a wire member to be clinched therebetween.

In the operation of the device, it will be apparent that after the jaws have been moved to the extreme open position shown in Fig. '7,' a wire member to be clinched may be inserted between the jaws which are at this time in sufciently open position to permit easy insertion of the wire member to be clinched. The hand lever 80 may then be moved toward the cylinder suiiiciently to lock the wire member in position between the jaws without clinching the same. The tool may then be used to position the wire member to be clinched -adjacent the parts to be connected thereby and the plunger 62 depressed to supply fluid under pressure to the cylinder 60 in order that the clinching operation will be effected by means of this fluid pressure.

It will be readily apparent that the inventive principles embodied in this modified form of the invention are substantially similar to those disclosed in connection with the preferred form of the invention described above in that in both instances means are provided for positively positioning a wire member to be clinched between the jaws and, in addition, means for positively retaining the member to be clinched between the jaws prior to and independent of the actual clinching operation. I

It will be readily understood that the specic embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described above are merely illustrative of the generic inventive concept presented in this application. Many other and further modifications thereof falling within the scope of the invention as deiined in the subjoined claims will become clearly apparent to those skilled inI the art.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus of the class described including in combination a pair of pivotally connected jaws, means for closing said jaws, means providing a lost motion connection associated with said closing means, and a spring to resiliently urge said jaws to partially closed position.

2. Apparatus of the class described including in combination a pair of pivotally connected jaws, positively actuated reciprocable means for closing said jaws, means providing a lost motion connection between said means and said jaws, and a spring serving to resiliently urge said jaws to partially closed position.

3. Apparatus of the class described including in combination a fixed jaw, a pivot pin carried thereby normal to the plane of movement of said jaw, a movable jaw having a slot therein adapted to receive said pivot pin to establish a pivotal connection between said pair of jaws which are in aligned relation, and resilient means interconnecting said movable jaw and said pivot pin to resiliently urge said jaws to partially closed position.

4. Apparatus of the class described including in combination a xed jaw, a movable jaw aligned therewith and pivotally connected thereto and having ya slot therein, a rod for actuating said movable jaw connected thereto by means of a pin cylinder having a piston rod extending from one end thereof, toggle linkage interconnecting said piston rod and said jaw members whereby movement of said piston serves to actuate the same, Aand means independent of said piston for moving said jaw members to partially closed posiltion to retain a member to be clinched therebetween,

STANLEY G. SMITH. 

